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Celebrating Principals  
Our Take on Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa Celebrations

December 26- January 1

 

A holiday created to help us embrace the things of our past. Kwanzaa is now one of the most celebrated African inspired traditions.

The Celebration of First Fruits....

 But what Is Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa is an African American holiday, which was created in 1966. It is seven  days long beginning December 26 and ending on January 1. Each day is named for one of the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles). Kwanzaa was designed as a creative mixture of Continental African and world wide African culture and is based on proud tradition and reason. 

Most African Americans  are far removed from the origins of our people, yet it is appropriate for us to celebrate and thank the Creator for all we have received throughout the previous year and to celebrate our joint productivity collectively - our first fruits.

The name KWANZAA is derived from the Swahili language of East Africa. "Matunde ya Kwanza" is a Kiswahili phrase meaning first fruits of the harvest. African harvest celebrations date back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and Nubia. These holidays are found all over the African continent from ancient to modern times.

Each proud people have had its own name for the celebration and the duration has differed from 3 to 9 days. Ancient Egypt (Kemit) celebrated Pert-In-Min or the Coming Forth of Min as a holiday of the first fruits. The Swazi people of Southern Africa celebrate Incwala and the neighboring Matabele have Inxwala. The Thonga people celebrate Luma and for the Ashanti of Ghana, it is Afahye or Odwira for a week or more.

The Yoruba of Nigeria celebrate the New Yam Festivals called Eje or Oro Olofin. The Yoruba Odun Ijesu Yam Festival lasts for three days. Among the Zulu people the Umkhosi holiday lasts for seven days. This is the one, which has provided the model for our celebration of Kwanzaa. Accordingly we must not take our charge lightly. The task of restoring our people to greatness, must be done by returning to our cultural past and preserving it.

The Seven Principals 
Kwanzaa Celebrations


UMOJA
(OO MOH JAH)
UNITY - To strive for, and maintain, unity in the family, community, nation and race.

KUJICHAGULIA (KOO JEE CHA GOO LEE YAH)
SELF DETERMINATION - To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves instead of being defined, named, created for and spoken for by others.

UJIMA (OO JEE MAH)
COLLECTIVE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY - To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

UJAMAA (OO JAH MAH)
COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS - To build and maintain our own businesses together and profit from them together.

NIA (NEE YA)
PURPOSE - To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community and to restore our people to our traditional greatness.

KUUMBA (KOO OOM BAH)
CREATIVITY - To always do as much as we can in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than when we inherited it.

IMANI (EE MAH NEE)
FAITH - To believe with all our hearts in our Creator, our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

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Educate Your Children  

Zawadi (za 'wa dee) - Although Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec 26th - Jan 1, it does not begin there. The 7 principles should be taught year round, and celebrated and acknowledged during the 7 day period.

Gifts should be given to the children for commitments they made and kept. Gifts may consist of items that are either grown or made by the giver as an act of sharing and a labor of love. Givers are also encouraged to give a book and/or a heritage symbol to reinforce positive values and self esteem.

Name Product Id Price Quantity
Kwanzaa Step Celebration Set SI-1550   $72.00  
Unity Kwanzaa Set AHCKZ-UNS   $72.00  
Gye Nyame Kwanzaa Set AHCKZ-GYS   $72.99  
Traditional Kwanzaa set AHCKZ-TRS   $72.00  
Classic Kwanzaa Set AHCKZ-CLS   $65.00  
Kwanzaa Candles /Mishumaa AIM-203   $21.99  
Purchase A Gift Certificate BF-002   Starting at $5  

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Gift Ideas 

Red - For the blood of our people, not shed in vain and for our courage

Black - For our race as African people

Green - For the Land - Africa and the hope we all have.

 

From Our President/CEO 
Gain Understanding...

There are many websites that provide  resource information on the principles of Kwanzaa, with the help of those resources we have tried to capture the essence of the celebration. The one common thread in all  resources is the importance of  building  firm "principal" based foundations.

We do not claim to be the best resource for knowledge on this subject. Our goal is simply to provide you with a foundation that fosters your continued thirst for knowledge.

 Should you decide to celebrate the principals of  Kwanzaa, we encourage you to gain understanding of it's (kwanzaa's) origin and purpose. Then to celebrate it in the spirit in which it was created.

Ka-Veronica Braddy-

"In all thy getting... Get Understanding"  
Proverbs

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